Commentary and analysis to persuade people to become socialist and to act for themselves, organizing democratically and without leaders, to bring about a world of common ownership and free access. We are solely concerned with building a movement of socialists for socialism. We are not reformists with a programme of policies to patch up capitalism.

Thursday, June 04, 2015

Nigerians Demand End To Military Impunity

An Amnesty International report accusing the Nigerian military of the
murder of thousands, and demanding the investigation of senior
commanders for war crimes, has been welcomed by Nigerian pro-democracy
activists.

“Stars on their shoulders. Blood on their hands:
War crimes committed by the Nigerian military,” says more than 7,000
young men and boys were starved, suffocated and tortured to death in
military detention from 2011 in the war against the Boko Haram
insurgency.

The report, based on hundreds of interviews and leaked military
documents, said since 2012 more than 1,200 people have been
extrajudicially executed by the military and the vigilante Civilian
Joint Task Force in the three conflict-affected states of the northeast.
“The report outlines the roles and possible criminal responsibilities of
those along the chain of command – up to the Chief of Defence Staff and
Chief of Army Staff – and names nine senior Nigerian military figures
who should be investigated for command and individual responsibility for
the crimes committed,” Amnesty said.
The accusations in the report will be an early test for Nigeria’s new
president, Muhammadu Buhari, who on his swearing-in last week stressed
that the military – which has a history of abuse – must be committed to
human rights in its battle against the jihadist insurgency.
Nigerian civil society activists have been quick to comment on the report. Here is what they told IRIN:Jibrin Ibrahim, fellow at Centre for Democracy and Development:

“I think it’s appropriate that people are charged for their crimes
whoever they are. Numerous reports over the years have shown these
crimes have been committed in a systematic manner. Impunity has always
been a problem in the war against Boko Haram.

“The problem is we train the army for a war where you kill the enemy
that you can see. But [in this insurgency] you are fighting an unknown
enemy – the army don’t have the intelligence to know who-is-who.

“We need a completely new philosophy and doctrine. It’s not just in the
northeast. The army is deployed in 32 out of 36 states in the country.
The first thing is we need human rights training, and much greater focus
on intelligence. Now Boko Haram is cornered, it is returning to
asymmetrical warfare where the military has always struggled.”Clement Nwankwo, executive director at Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre:

“The level of abuse is shocking. It certainly necessitates a judicial
commission of inquiry. It is important that the government takes the
initiative to investigate, but that doesn’t necessarily preclude a role
for the International Criminal Court.

I think it’s a test for Buhari’s ability to bring the military to
account and under his control. He said in his inaugural speech that
issues of human rights would be a priority for him. Nigeria’s human
rights community has consistently raised concern over the magnitude of
violations the military has committed. They can’t be allowed to go scot
free.”Idayat Hassan, director at Centre for Democracy and Development:

“This report cannot be swept under the carpet if this new government
wants to end the insurgency – it must take cognisance of the human
rights violations by the security forces since the start of the
insurgency. Mass atrocities have been committed in the northeast.

“It’s very obvious the service chiefs will have to go. The defining
character of the Amnesty report is that they have been able to name and
shame – which hasn’t been done before.

“The insurgency has been seen as northerners killing northerners.
[Buhari] has promised a Marshall Plan for the northeast in his first 100
days. That expenditure must be seen [by Nigerians] as in the national
interest. Everyone should be concerned – this conflict in the northeast
affects us all, and impacts on the development of the country as a
whole.”Chidi Odinkalu, chairman, Governing Council, National Human Rights Commission:

“Have there been atrocities on the side of the Armed Forces? Absolutely,
I think so. But I don’t want to get caught up on numbers.

“There has been an attempt by the Nigerian army to seek accountability
over those accused of atrocities. I’m not saying that this is adequate
or sufficient.

“There has been a build-up of trauma in the military, with men serving
on the frontlines not properly equipped or relieved. No human being is
constructed to take that amount of trauma without dealing some back. We
need programmes that provide treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder.”